The Westernmost Island on Earth: Baker Island (US Minor Outlying Islands)

The westernmost island in the world is Baker Island — a tiny, uninhabited atoll in the central Pacific, part of the United States Minor Outlying Islands.

Coordinates

• Latitude: 0°13′N (just north of the Equator)
• Longitude: 176°28′W (or 176°48′W per some sources — varies by datum)

Key Facts

• Area: 2.1 km² (0.81 sq mi)
• Status: Uninhabited National Wildlife Refuge (US Fish & Wildlife Service)
• Distance from Honolulu: ~1,650 nautical miles (3,050 km) southwest
• Time zone: UTC-12:00 (Anywhere on Earth / Baker Island Time) — last place on Earth to see each new day
• Companion: Howland Island (37 mi northwest) — also US, also UTC-12, also uninhabited

History

• Discovered 1818 (US whaler).
• Guano mining (1850s–1890s) under Guano Islands Act.
• Attempted colonization 1935–1942 (Millersville settlement) — evacuated after Pearl Harbor.
• WWII: US airfield built (abandoned).
• 1974: Designated National Wildlife Refuge.

Why It Matters

• EEZ: 200-nm Exclusive Economic Zone = 425,000 km² of fisheries/seabed rights for US.
• Science: Pristine coral reef, seabird nesting (sooty terns, boobies), climate monitoring.
• Date Line: Baker/Howland are the "end of the world" chronologically — last to celebrate New Year.

Baker Island: a speck of sand at the edge of tomorrow, guarding a vast blue kingdom for the United States.